Demonetisation: ‘Emotional’ PM Narendra Modi vows, “This is just the beginning, more to come”

Beleaguered PM Narendra Modi today received a big boost with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) members of Parliament (MPs) endorsing his crusade against black money through the demonetisation policy decision, even though it is facing a volatile reaction from the political opposition and people across India are having to stand in queues to get access to their money from banks and ATMs.

In his speech at the meet, PM Modi said he had taken this step to stop the menace of black money, corruption and fake notes. (Reuters)

Beleaguered PM Narendra Modi today received a big boost with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) members of Parliament (MPs) endorsing his crusade against black money through the demonetisation policy decision, even though it is facing a volatile reaction from the political opposition and people across India are having to stand in queues to get access to their money from banks and ATMs. The BJP has blamed the Opposition for playing politics with a decision that will benefit India for a long time to come.

Indicating to his MPs that he is unwilling to take backward steps, PM Modi went further and said that, ‘This is just the beginning’, hinting that more such shock tactics may well be in the offing in the near future. The BJP Parliamentary Party thereafter passed a resolution that was endorsed unanimously supporting his move to ban the Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes. Not just that, the MPs stood up and gave the PM a standing ovation too. This was the first BJP Parliamentary Party meet in the current Winter session.

In his speech at the meet, PM Modi said he had taken this step to stop the menace of black money, corruption and fake notes that have plagued the poor and the lower middle classes who are denied benefits and can’t compete on an equal footing with the criminals. This will go a long way in bolstering the economy, which again will benefit these classes, he added.

A visibly emotional PM Modi said, “We have come to power not for us or those close to us but for the poor. For 70 years, the poor and the lower and middle classes suffered and have been exploited by black money, corruption and terrorism. Our aim is a deep, long and constant struggle against them. This is not the end but only a beginning of our struggle.”

Addressing the media later, Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu hit out at the opposition and accused it of orchestrating chaos in the country and to stop Parliament from working.